


All you gotta do is just believe

by kingkylo



Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/F, Galaxy Gals, M/M, Treebros, mermaid au, mermaid zoe murphy, merman connor murphy, the murphys are a fancy family of merpeople, they live in california because i said so and i want to be geographically correct
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-08-16 19:15:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16501136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingkylo/pseuds/kingkylo
Summary: Connor is a merman who hates his family and loves everything about Evan.Evan is a human who is confused about life and considerably more confused when he learns that (to some extent) magical creatures are real and that they can be extremely endearing and he has no idea what to do with that information."Connor has seen many attractive faces in his life; mermen, fairies, sirens, so he’d be damned if Evan Hansen wasn’t the cutest person he’s ever laid eyes on. Most days Connor watches him from afar, tail swishing the calm waves into swirls around him as he hides behind a cluster of rocks. Today is no exception."// uploads will be slow!





	1. Sun Shines on His Face

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I really love fantasy DEH AU's so I will not try to let this flop. 
> 
> That being said, if you know of any other fantasy au's, from Dear Evan Hansen, obviously, please message me because I am such a
> 
> sucker for them. Please enjoy!! <3 Update will come in the next few days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter!!! 
> 
> TW: there are suicidal thoughts towards the end, just a warning.

Connor has seen many attractive faces in his life; mermen, fairies, sirens, so he’d be damned if Evan Hansen wasn’t the cutest person he’s ever laid eyes on. Most days Connor watches him from afar, tail swishing the calm waves into swirls around him as he hides behind a cluster of rocks. Today is no exception. Aimlessly his fingers tap against the rocks, eyes roaming Evan as he sits under an umbrella. Constellations of freckles scattered over his arms and shoulders and Connor hasn’t gotten close enough to see, but he assumes some also reside over his cheeks and nose. The sun has been particularly strong for the past week, so there’s a flush of red over his darkened arms. When he steps out of his resting spot, the light catches between his golden brown hair and jeez, what Connor would give to run his fingers through it. He watches Evan make his way towards the water, stopping when it reaches his waist. His face is tilted towards the sky and his fingers twirl throughout the water and Connor sighs loudly, resting his chin upon his hands. The water next to him ripples and Zoe emerges, indigo strands plastered against her cheeks and forehead.

 

“Connor.” She speaks firmly, yet quiet enough to not reveal their position.

 

“Mmm?” He hums in response, still fixated completely on Evan, who’s crawled deeper, water lapping at his chest.

 

“You shouldn’t be out here.”

 

Connor turns towards her, glaring through the hair that has fallen in his face.

 

“I’ll do what I want.” He flicks water up into Zoe’s face with his tail, earning an annoyed squeal from her.

 

“Connor. Come back. You know how mad they’ll be if they find out you’ve been lingering up here, especially near a beach while ogling a...” She trails off, following Connors gaze to Evan.

 

“A human? A boy? Which do you think would upset Larry more, Zoe?” He bites down on his father's name, anger flashing through his body. “ _Fuck off._ ” He growls out and drifts away from her. Zoe sighs then disappears underwater and Connor can feel the vibrations through the water as she swims away. Evan is still half submerged in the water, thick brows furrowed down in concentration, curved lips pressed tightly together and Connor just itches to swim up to him and memorize every small detail of that face.

 

He sinks down until his hair forms a halo around his head and grumbles to himself. He should really be getting back, Larry and Cynthia (but mostly Larry) will probably deadbolt his door with rocks. He steals another quick glance at Evan and has to force himself to tear his gaze away, because he looks so ethereal and unreal, which is funny, coming from a fucking merman, but nonetheless, Connor's stomach flutters. The light casts soft shadows across his freckled cheeks and highlights the curve of his shoulders, the slope of his neck, defining the muscles in his upper arms. He wonders if anyone ever notices how breathtaking Evan looks, because if he was a human and could spend every second around him, he wouldn't blink.

He sighs and ducks under the water, twisting down into the cool depths. His tail pumps lazily as he cruises between the rocks and half-dead coral littering the ocean floor. His fingers trail against the sand, the shallow divets swept away by the ocean's movements. As he makes a sharp left throughout the distinct arch that leads directly to the mercity, he wonders how the hell it hasn't been discovered yet. Yeah, there's a magical spell of sorts cloaking it, but he knows how easy it can be broken if you brush against the correct areas. He dips down between the known tear and instead of empty, dark waters, he's met with the hazy glow of lights and pale rocky structures of houses and caves. A posse of young mergirls flit by him and two of them glance back at him and whisper to each other, speeding up when they notice him glaring. 

Connor feels the scales that scatter his arms and sides prickle. Of course. He's Connor; the unstable, hot-headed Murphy. The one that'll threaten to break your fins and throw a piece of decorative coral at you, like that  _one_  time in second grade. His brows push in and a grimace crosses his face as he makes his way home, tail rigid, too tense to have just been admiring someone from far all day. He swims aggressively, much more forceful then needed, and just barely avoids crashing into someone, swerving to the right. The mermaid tumbles past him, disturbing the usual calmness of the ocean and she barks out an angry swear, which just angers Connor ever more and his dorsal fins flare up. Usually, he'd try and scare them off, but he's just not in the mood, because he's so tired. 

When he enters his home, his mom is nervously flitting about, rearranging corals and old pots among the shelves. The seaweed curtain swishes behind him and Cynthia spins around, the worried creases easing away when she focuses on him. 

 

"Connor! There you are!" She makes her way towards him, burnt orange tail trailing behind her. He lets her tug him into a hug, letting his mind wander. He'll never understand how Zoe and he got purple-hued tails while his mother had her warm orange tones and his dad (not to mention; like his personality) sported steely blue. For a while, he thought his mom cheated, he wouldn't have been surprised, but that idea was shut down when he learned his grandmother (dad's side) had a purple tail. He's brought back to reality by the grip his mother has on his shoulders and he blinks everything into focus. 

 

"Connor? Are you listening to me?" The tired brown eyes of his mom stare back at him, and he swallows, pulling out of her grasp and floating towards the stairs. 

 

"Yeah. I'm fine." Connor turns away, a quarter up the staircase when his mother coaxes him back down with her voice. 

 

"Where were you?" She doesn't sound angry, more disappointed, and he knows she knows. 

 

"Does it matter?" He lets all emotion drain out and looks at her, blank expression gracing his features. 

 

"Yes. I'm your mother, and I was worried!" She drifts closer to the stairs and he moves back, away from her. Away from everything bad in his life. 

 

"That's a first." He scoffs and quickly closes the distance from the stairs to his room, ignoring the helpless ' _Connor'_  Cynthia calls out after him. Grateful for his door, he slams it and curls up on his mossy, clam-esque bed. 

 

Connor stays there for hours, even when the sun sets, darkening the waters. Even when his mom softly knocks at his door, signaling dinner is ready, and he yells for her to go away. Even when Zoe pounds on the wall and tells him to stop being such a fucking asshole. And then it's Larry's turn and Connor doesn't want to think about him, doesn't want to think about how his blood will run hot and vision will go red. There are only so many punches his walls can take. So he squeezes out of his window, blindly swimming through the dark before figuring out where he has to go. 

 

Then he's back at the beach and rummaging around the small cave humans usually hide their weed stash until he finds a blunt. He grins to himself and flops onto the rock he was hiding behind earlier, lighting up the blunt, he thinks its called and takes a few puffs. It's nice. Merpeople only really have something thats the equivilant of vodka and to be honest, Connor has never enjoyed being drunk. It blurs his vision and makes him do stupid things he'd regret because he likes knowing when he does stupid things, which is usually always. Being high is different. He feels light and there's a buzz that runs throughout his body, but its calming and sometimes, when he lets his eyes drift close, he imagines he has two long legs instead of his scaly tail and pointy fins.

There is a rumor that in the depths of the city, beyond where the last house resides, there's a woman who can turn you human, with fully functioning legs and everything. He's contemplated it before, because then maybe he could actually have a chance of dying. Humans die easily, right? To kill a merperson is hard, their tails are thick and a measly knife doesn't cut through skin or scale. But, then again, he likes being able to sink to the bottom of the ocean, surrounded by pure quiet and pretending to be drowning. It grows old after a few minutes because he can feel his gills flap against his skin and it annoys him.

So for now, he stays sprawled against the rock, the joint hanging loosely between two long fingers, staring up at the night sky. The moon is fully round and pale tonight, illuminating the soft waves that lap at his tail as it dangles off the rock, stars winking at him from a million miles away. A soft breeze brushes over his wet skin, and he shivers, something he isn't quite used to, but it gives him a rush of  _living._ Something behind him rustles and on instinct he drops down into the water, bubbles swirling around him and then settling as the water stills. He breaks through the water, only enough so he can see, and to his surprise, Evan Hansen is slowly wading into the ocean. 

 

Connor watches with wide eyes and swallows, because holy shit, he's even more gorgeous with the moonlight. It cuts across his face and shoulders, and Connor notices he's wearing a shirt, which is weird because aren't you supposed to swim without a shirt on?  Evan hasn't seemed to notice him yet, so Connor deems it safe to pull himself up higher and rest against the rocks. The air is silent, but then something swiftly breaks through and Connor stills, heart, pounding furiously in his chest. 

 

The sound isn't foreign, isn't new to his ears, because he can recognize it from when he himself curls up in his room by himself or in the deepest parts of the water. Connor's heart still drops because Evan is too good. He's too good to be standing in the middle of an endless stretch of nothingness, arms wrapped tightly around his waist, sobbing. To good to let his tears fall into the waves and vanish into the cold and lonely depths of the ocean. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sad Evan meets sad Connor.
> 
> "Evan swallowed because this wasn’t Jared. Definitely wasn’t Jared. Sure, Jared is cute in his own quirky way, but this person...he’s godly"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so I recently learned that mike faist has heterochromia whatever it’s called and got kinda excited when writing about Connor's eyes.  
> anyways, hope y’all enjoy!!  
> I’m aware it says one more chapter left but I’ll probably stretch it out for one or two more. 
> 
> I also kinda played around with POV's in this chapter, so hopefully, it's not too confusing, but it basically starts with Evan and ends with Connor (: 
> 
> zoe isn't bad I promise, i love her. 
> 
> tw; anxiety and self-depreciating thoughts

Evan always got the feeling he was being watched. Okay, well, not always. But most days when he’s at the beach with his mom, his cheeks feel warm and his skin vibrates because he can feel someone’s intense gaze on him and frankly, he doesn’t like it. Makes him feel like some sort of spectacle. Makes him wonder if there’s something on his face or if he just looks weird in general and it just heightens his insecurity.

He’s never been to this particular beach at night before, so he hopes that the feeling is gone. Although, he probably wouldn’t even be able to notice it because his head is in a haze. His hands are shaking and he knows he’s surrounded by lots of clean and fresh air, but his lungs are constricting and it was probably a bad idea to get into the water. But he doesn’t notice it until the tears running down his face can’t compare with the wetness of his shorts clinging to his legs. Evan blinks, trying to rearrange himself and think back on how he got here in the first place. He was at home and his mother had called him, insisting he order food for himself because she, once again, wouldn’t make it in time for dinner. And so for the next twenty, maybe thirty minutes, he held the website open on his laptop staring at the screen. He almost did it, was so close, but then all the scenarios were running through his head and he couldn’t take it. When the pizza guy came to the door, Evan would take the pizza but have forgotten the money so he’d have to by fault, talk to the delivery person. Or he would forget to say thank you and then the delivery person would tell everyone how that weird, nervous kid in the tiny run down house is rude and we should give him the worst service or a burnt pizza. Even worse, it could be someone from school and then he wouldn’t know what to do, and the outcome of all these situations were bad. He’d be embarrassed and upset and his mother would probably be disappointed and that was too much because he knows he disappoints her. Who wants an anxious son who has no friends and doesn’t have the ability to talk to anyone?

 

So Evan had ran out of the house without a second thought. He’s surprised he found his way to the beach because when he had left there wasn’t much light out anymore and the only thing now illuminating his way was the moon and twinkling stars. The water grew warm around him and he decided to stay, swirling his fingers around and staring out into the depths. The ocean stretched for miles and miles and he felt so small. So tiny and insignificant against the vast emptiness and a heavy sob rocked throughout his body.

 

Evan was a mess. A confused mess who he didn’t know what to do with himself. He wished he could swim out and sink to the bottom of the ocean, letting the soft sand swallow him whole and he wouldn’t have to think about anything anymore. He shivered at the thought and wrapped his arms around his waist, letting his head fall down and grimacing at how soaked his shirt and become. He liked this shirt, one of his favorites, hopefully, it wouldn’t be completely ruined by the salt.

 

Evan stood there for maybe 10 minutes, tears dripping silently into the ocean and he figured he should go, but he didn’t move. It was surprisingly nice, just standing in the ocean and not really paying attention to anything around you.

 

But Evan was always on edge, there was always some part of him scanning the area, so when the water to his far right, behind some rocks splashed, he tensed. Evan whipped around, staring at the rocks with wide eyes. The water around it was calming down as if someone had just ducked under the waves.

 

“H-hello? Jared?” Evan cringed at his voice, how shaky and pathetic it sounded.

 

“Jared? Is that y-you?” He was met with silence. He knew he wasn’t alone, someone else was there with him. “P-please, Jared. It’s not funny.” Evan tried to project his voice, make himself sound louder and tougher, but his voice wavered.

 

Nervously chewing on his bottom lip, he waded closer to the rocks, slipping on the sand as the water rose higher. He was less than five feet away from the cluster of rocks, and if he got a little bit closer he could peek around and see who was lingering there.

 

“Wait! Stop!” A voice cut through the silence and the water rippled again, a long pale arm breaking the surface and shooting into the air. Evan stops, blinking owlishly at the hand. He notices that the fingernails are clipped short and painted a shiny black. The hand curls around the rock and hauls up whoever it belongs to.

 

Evan swallowed because this wasn’t Jared. _Definitely_ wasn’t Jared _. S_ ure, Jared is cute in his own quirky way, but this person...he’s godly. Sharp cheekbones, hidden by long dark hair that curls at the end where it reaches to his shoulders. Thick lashes that frame the most captivating eyes he’s ever seen. One eye is a piercing blue, so blue that Evan feels it could be reading every single secret stored inside. Half of his other eye mirrors the blue, but instead of it stretching further into a stunning swirl of blues, it choppily fades into a deep brown. The brown makes you stop and stumble backward, blinking momentarily, wondering if you saw wrong. But after, it’s nice, spreads warmth throughout your body and draws you in closer to him.

 

Evan doesn’t realize he’s staring until a delicately groomed brow raises and a teasing twinkle flickers in the eyes that are now permanently sealed within Evan’s memory.

 

“Oh! I-I’m sorry.” A hot blush creeps up Evan’s neck and he unconsciously tugs at his shirt. The person crosses his arms over the rocks and rests his chin, watching Evan curiously. The silence stretches thickly between them, and then he laughs. It’s loud and clear and runs a shock through Evan’s spine, making him shiver and he wraps his arms back around his waist.

 

“It’s fine.” The words tumble lazily out of his mouth and he grins, flashing a set of straight teeth and Evan narrows his eyes because he has _fangs_.

 

“I’m Connor.” He extends a long arm and waggles his fingers playfully in Evan’s direction. There’s a scattering of purple scales traveling up his wrist, so pale and translucent that Evan almost doesn’t notice, but the moonlight shines off them. Connor clears his throat and Evan looks back at him, flushing before taking his hand.

 

“E-Evan.” He laughs nervously, pulling his hand back, but not before noticing how he brushes against a soft patch of skin between Connor’s fingers. Evan pauses and...are his hands webbed?

 

Fangs, scales, webbed hands. What’s next, a tail?

 

Evan decides not to comment, some people do, uh, enjoy modifying their bodies so they look like magical creatures, he doesn’t judge.

 

“What are you doing out here, Evan?” Connor speaks softly, dropping a hand back into the water and swirling it around.

 

When Evan doesn’t answer, Connor looks up at him from under his lashes and Evan swears his heart stops.

 

“You alright?” The playful look on Connor’s face fades away and his brows scrunch down in concern. 

 

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just, um, I-I like the ocean?" Evan trails off, fiddling with the hem of his soggy shirt. "But I uh, like trees better. I know more facts...and such." A nervous laugh bubbles up his throat and he ducks his head down. The silence remains awkward between them, so he speaks up again. 

 

"What are you, uh, doing here?" A shaky hand reaches up and curls around his neck, pinching hard at the soft skin. He winces but manages to keep himself somewhat composed. 

 

"Had to get away from home," Connor replies. Evan notices his voice sounds different with those words; clipped and short. 

 

"Oh. Do you live around here? I've never seen you a-um, around before." Evan quirks his head. The light around them seems to dim, as a cloud passes over the moon and Evan squints, trying to readjust his vision. He watches Connor as his eyes flicker to the depths of the ocean momentarily and a bitter smile crosses his lips. 

 

"I guess you could say that." Connor twists his body and leans his back against the rocks, causing the water to ripple as he sinks down. There's a flash of something dark, long and clearly scaled beneath the waves and Evans heart drops because the first thing his mind goes to is a shark. But it's gone within a second so Evan blames it on lack of sleep or the cold water has finally gotten to him. 

It's quiet again, still awkward and a bit tense, but strangely, Evan doesn't mind. Okay, well, he _does_ mind. But he's not going to say it aloud. He can feel that maybe this could grow on him, potentially, if they saw each other again. Assuming Connor actually didn't despise Evan's company or didn't get extremely annoyed at his nervous tics and stutter.  

Evan shifts closer to where Connor is, resting himself on the rock. Connor turns, surprised and grins.

 

“So you like trees?” His gaze is heavy-lidded yet piercing and Evan shivers. He nods and opens his mouth to answer, but before he can even get the start of a word out, there’s a violent ripple of water in between Evan and Connor, and the head of a girl not much younger than the two boys pops up. Her face is stone hard and angry, cheeks flushed red, highlighting the scales scattered around.

 

“Connor!” She snaps and turns towards him. Her hair has streaks of purple in it and it fans out in the water, covering her shoulders and back. She doesn’t seem to notice Evan, but Evan clearly notices her because where the _hell_ did she come from? He blinks a few times but she’s there every time his eyes open, so he’s not imagining things.

 

She moves closer to Evan and something slimy and smooth brushes his ankles. A startled yelp escapes his mouth and he shoots backward. That definitely gets her attention and Evan notices her _and_ Connor stiffen. Slowly, she turns around and fixes her gaze on Evan. Her eyes are the same icy blue as Connor, so he figures they’re siblings, and they widen so largely he thinks they’ll pop out of her head.

 

A strangled whimper makes it way out of her throat and she stares helplessly at Evan.

 

“Zoe,” Connor begins but then Zoe is regaining her composure and she moves back so she’s able to look at Connor and Evan at the same time. “I can explain.” She narrows her eyes at Connor and the water around them starts to swirl, almost like something strong and powerful is angrily twisting underneath the waves.

 

“Um, what’s there to explain? Did I,” Evan breaks off as the two siblings look at him and he feels his stomach churn nervously. “Did I do something wrong?”

 

“No.” Connor is quick to say at the same time Zoe says “Yes.”

 

 

“We have to Connor,” Zoe says, not backing up what she said about Evan doing something wrong, and he is terribly lost.

 

“No. No. Zoe, he doesn’t even know!” Whatever she said sparks something within Connor and he’s drifting closer to her, an unreadable expression gracing his face.

 

“Know what?” Evan asks, voice quiet, and neither pays attention to him.

 

“We _have_ to. _It’s the law,_ Connor _.”_ Zoe speaks darkly, eyes flickering angrily.

 

“Fuck the law!” Connor bursts and he reaches for Zoe’s arm the same time she moves towards Evan. “Don’t!” He snarls and Evan flinches because he never knew someones voice to sound so _raw_ and _angry._ There’s a tension between the two of them and Evan doesn’t understand what’s happening, why it’s happening and honestly? He just wants to be home right now.

 

Zoe turns her back on Connor and moves to Evan, locking eyes with him. The moment their eyes met, Evan’s body began to feel heavy. His lids fluttered open and closed and the water around him felt warm and welcoming and if he let himself sink down into it, coaxing him into a hug. But then in an instant, the feeling was gone and his view of Zoe was gone. Instead, he was staring at...nothing?

 

His hands flew up to his face and were met with someone else’s.

 

“Um.”

 

“Don’t look at her.” Connors voice travelled around him and Evan dropped one arm, the other trailing blindly until he gripped one of Connor’s wrists. He could feel the scales beneath his fingers; they felt fragile, like they’d break underneath the slightest amount of pressure. He was caught off guard when something scaled and smooth wrapped around his ankles.

His mind immediately flew to shark then sea monster and he attempted to stumble backward, but it held him in place. Evan could feel the muscles tighten, steadying his swaying figure.

 

“Connor!” He squeezes his eyes shut, savoring the air that was steadily moving through his lungs as he was preparing himself to be dragged into the water. 

 

“It’s okay,” It’s silent for a minute and then Zoe sighs tiredly.

 

“Fine. But come back soon, alright? We don’t want them coming up and finding you.” The water gurgles, then grows quiet and Evan can tell Zoe isn’t there anymore. He doesn’t know where she goes, doesn’t even know where she came from in the first place. The hand covering his face drops away, yet Evan still grips Connor’s wrist.

 

“You can open your eyes, Evan,” Connor speaks tenderly and it encompasses Evan in warmth, so his eyes open slowly and he’s face to face with Connor. His eyes widen and his heart beats wildly in his chest. Connor is even prettier up close, with thin wisps of wet hair falling in his multicolored eyes, and a teasing grin playing at the corners of his softly curved lips. There’s a hint of a blush dusted on his strong nose and Evan takes into notice that there are small marks that shift from a translucent purple to blue dotting his arched cheekbones.

 

“I—“ Evan wants to ask him what the hell just happened, what’s the law that caused Connor to burst out in anger but words fail him, stuck in the back of his throat. The hesitance must’ve broken through whatever trance the two of them were twirling into because Connor blinks a few times and swallows loudly.

 

“Have to go. I have to go.” Whatever the thing that was wrapped around Evan's ankles pulled back and so did Connor, gently pulling his arm out of Evan's loose hold. 

 

"Oh, um," Evan starts, hoping to ask him if they'll see each other again, but Connor has floated back towards the rock. They make eye contact for a split second and then Connor is ducking down and is gone. The waves lap irritably and Evan is even more confused. 

 

Is his isolation finally getting to him? 

 

Evan sighs to himself and shakes his head, turning around and trudging out of the ocean, silently grateful he had kicked his shoes off. 

 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ 

 

Later that night, or early the next morning, when the moon is still high in the sky and the stars are still visible, Connor lies awake in his bed staring at the crumbled ceiling. He can't stop thinking about how stupid he is, deciding to actually interact with Evan. 

 

He could've ruined Evan's life, all because of a stupid crush, or whatever the hell he was feeling. Zoe could've used her damn magical mermaid powers on him and wiped his memory, causing him to forget Connor, and as selfish as it made him feel, Connor didn't want that. 

 

Groaning to himself, he turns over and buries his face into his pillow. Images of Evan's round blue, kind of green eyes staring at him widely. Of his brows softly turned up in confusion, and how he has freckles all over his cheeks and nose and forehead. 

 

"Stop it." He tugs at a strand of hair and scolds himself. 

 

It takes a while, but he eventually drifts into sleep, promising himself that he won't go back in the morning, promising himself that he won't go looking for Evan. 

 

But of course, when he does wake up, Connor pretends he forgot and finds himself leaning back against that rock which is warm from the sun high in the sky and waiting. 

 

 


End file.
